A Knock at Midnight: A Story of Hope, Justice, and Freedom
by Brittany K. Barnett
Disingenuous (7/8/2021)
I was enjoying the book and, as a former federal prosecutor, absolutely agreed with need to modify the sentencing guidelines. The problem for me was the author’s hypocrisy. She spends a significant amount of time lamenting her mother’s unfair treatment (which actually was not unfair given that she repeatedly and knowingly violated the probation conditions by testing dirty all the time. Was the Court supposed to continue to allow that without, FINALLY, sending her to prison? Should there not be a consequence for the repeated violations of a condition of probation?) and how drugs ruined her childhood, then completely glosses over the her family and friends roll in the distribution of drugs. Her family, her friends, and even the author herself participated in either selling or helping her boyfriend transporting drugs, yet because she considered their roles minimal - and because they were good people - was angry about the way they were treated. Notwithstanding her valid points about the obvious racial bias in the previous sentencing guidelines, I found her position to be cavalier. I would have thought that she might have been more mindful of the devastation the drugs her friends and family were distributing were causing in the lives of the people buying those drugs. The children, like her who were traumatized by what her family and friends were doing. She didn’t show any concern about those people at all which is why I conclude that the author is disingenuous.